A Kiss, a Curse, and an Imp
by Chromaggia69
Summary: All Regina Mills wants is to spend time with her son. Ever since the curse had been broken, she had allowed him to make his choice of living with his birth mother, but they hadn't taken too kindly to the former Evil Queen. What happens when Regina threatens Emma in desperation to see her son? And what happens when Rumple gets involved? Swan Queen based. Takes place in S2.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It's been a while since I've posted something. I hope that I haven't lost my game. I'm nervous about posting this since it's my first Swan Queen fic, let alone my first OUAT fic. I hope you like it and I do plan on adding more, but I'd appreciate to get some feedback as to whether I should continue to post more chapters. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are quite welcome! :) (Also, right now, I didn't really have a title planned out so it's just something. I ****_might_**** change it later on)**

**Warning: Later chapters shall be rated M. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Once Upon A Time or any of its characters.**

* * *

Large, dark brown eyes gazed silently through a window, the subject of attention was a blonde with golden curls that tumbled down her back, which had been all that was in view. The woman- Emma- was sitting up at the counter next to a smaller form which was her birth son, Henry. They were both sipping at a cup of hot chocolate, the whipped cream long gone as they shared several laughs and teases over something that could not be heard from outside the restaurant.

Regina was standing outside, prepared to march in and take her son back. Well, actually, she was going to get him for her shift. Emma and herself had planned out certain times as to when Regina could see her son, in which in the mayor's mind, was completely and utterly ridiculous.

Emma had once again took off with her Henry when it was her time to spend with him and she wasn't exactly pleased with the blonde at the moment- or any moment for that matter. Ever since she stepped foot into Storybrooke, she wrecked havoc. Doing minor things that just pissed the mayor off.

Scowling softly, Regina pushed the door open with angered force. Her heels clacked on the floor as she marched up behind the two at the counter, whom had become silent along with the rest of the crowd. All eyes were on them, even Ruby had refrained from pouring the current refill of hot chocolate to watch the scene.

Regina grabbed onto Emma's shoulder and forced her to turn in the chair, green eyes meeting chocolate orbs that were filled with a seething fire that immediately melted the smile off of the blonde's face.

The mayor's expression held the authority she tried to uphold, her full, red painted lips formed a very subtle smirk.

"Miss Swan, did you happen to catch the time?"

"I don't need to know the time, Regina." Emma retorted, wrapping one of her arms around Henry's shoulders. "I'm spending the day with my son."

Regina scoffed and clicked her tongue, moving a hand to grab her adopted son's hand. "He's my son. You are never too aware of anything are you, sheriff? You have a job to do and I was suppose to have my time with Henry starting half an hour ago. I have the right to just take him away from you!"

"Oh, no you just did not say that! I have a right-"

"And what right might that be, sheriff?! He's legally mine." The older woman snarled, her eyes flaring with anger as she let her hand slip from Henry's grip to stare Emma down. "I am his mother. I raised him. Where were you for those ten years? I did not see you there changing his diaper. You weren't there to soothe his aching fever when he cried in the middle of the night. I was the one that did that, not you. You gave him up.."

"But I'm here now and you just have to deal with that." The blonde slipped from her seat and stood to face Regina, eye to eye. "I will _not_ let you take him away now. It's his choice to stay with me. He doesn't want to be around you."

Regina blinked slightly, a look of pain flickered over her face, but the moment didn't last long for she quickly hardened her expression, her white teeth peeking from behind her lips as she growled. "I have more power, Miss Swan. Remember who you're talking to."  
"Mom, stop! I'll go with you…" Henry finally piped up, hopping off the stool he had been perched on. "Just leave Emma alone. All she did was lose track of time. It was my fault."

The fire in Regina's eyes died once they set their gaze upon her son, a soft smile tilting the corners of her mouth up. "Good. Come along, Henry. I'll make lasagna for dinner. I know how much you like that."

Henry gave her a slight nod, his short arms wrapping around his birth mother. "I'll see you later, Emma." Giving her a wink, he slipped his little hand into the larger one that Regina had offered.

Regina gave the blonde woman a look of disgust before turning to exit the restaurant.

"She's determined, Emma. You'll have to put up a fight to get him." Ruby spoke just as Regina stepped foot outside the door. "Yeah, well I have more right to him right now than she. She only has part time visitation." Emma coolly replied. Those words only made the mayor scowl to herself. She had to raise her defenses. She couldn't allow Emma to just stroll in and take her Henry.

"Now, Henry, I don't want you seeing miss Swan again without my permission. You know I was worried sick about you." Regina reprimanded with a gentle voice as she led the young boy to her car just across the street.

"Okay, mom…" Henry sighed and shook his head. "But you can't keep me from her. She has a right to me. Not you."

"You don't think I can?" Regina looked at him, her eyes were darkly serious as she squat down to be eye level with him. "I can keep you from seeing anyone. Do you want to test me?"

Henry stared at his mother, his lips pressed together with anger. "You can't take me away from Emma. If you know what's best for me you wouldn't do that!"

"What's best for you is to stay away from that woman." She tried to keep her voice as steady and calm as possible.

"I don't want to stay with you anymore… not if you're going to be like this!" his retort caused Regina to furrow her brows, a hand extending to grab her son's hand, but he jerked it away before she could get a grip and ran off down the street away from her.

"Henry!" Regina frowned, her eyes glistened with tears and her face clearly showed the pain she was feeling. She looked rather lost as she watched him running until he turned a corner and was out of sight. "Henry…_ I'm sorry_…"she whispered under her breath, her black, leather gloved hands coming up to hold her face.

Exhaling slowly, she let her arms drop to her side. She knew she had to find him and hopefully she could. Squaring her shoulders, she got into the driver's seat of her car and started it up. But before she could pull it into drive, there was a knock on her window. As she looked up, there was no denying that honey colored hair. It was Emma.

Rolling her eyes in her normal sassy way, she pressed the button to roll the window down. "What do you want, miss Swan?" she inquired with a hint of snark.

"What was _that?"_ Emma asked, her eyes momentarily drifting over to look down the street where Henry had disappeared.

Regina followed her gaze through the side mirror of her car, another frown on her face as she noticed the empty street. "I told him that he wasn't allowed to see you anymore."

"You know that will hurt him, Regina." Emma turned her green eyes back to the mayor, a slight scowl on her lips. "And now you lost him."

"I didn't lose him. He'll come back." Regina gripped the steering wheel and looked up at Emma. "Now if you would excuse me, Miss Swan, I have my son that I need to find."

"He's not your son. He'll _never_ be _your_ son." The blonde just shook her head and pushed herself away from the car, taking a quick jog across the street to Granny's.

"I wouldn't count on that, Miss Swan." Regina mewled out the window softly before pushing the button to roll it back up. She then drove in to start her search for Henry. It wasn't that big of a town so it shouldn't be too hard to find her son by the end of the day.

It was harder than she thought. The sun had been down for two hours now and Regina still hadn't found any trace of her Henry. By that time, she concluded he ran off to someone else- someone that was associated with Emma and wanted to keep her son away from her. She couldn't allow that, but right now it was a lost cause. She hadn't gotten any work done.

Regina pulled her car onto the side of the road in front of her house. The night was cold, a chilling wind whipped at the mayor's face as she got out of her vehicle. With a soft sigh, she looked up to the moon, a bright, glowing orb in the sky. Stars, both faded and proud, dotted the sky around it, illuminating a few fluffy clouds that hid in the night sky.

"I _can't_ lose him…" she murmured to herself and pressed her back to the side of the car, her eyes searching the streets again with an ounce of hope. But there was still no one there.

Tears threatened her eyes once again as the thoughts of losing her son, her only love, to those wretched people that had stole him from her. She cursed Emma for coming into town and ruining everything. Henry was doubting her goodness now, especially since everyone knew that she was once the Evil Queen.

_I am the Evil Queen_, she thought to herself with a shake of her head and a smirk playing on her lips. "I can get him back…. with a little help." she muttered to herself as she pushed herself away from the small, black car to head towards her house.

"Watch out, Miss Swan, I'm coming for Henry, and this time… this time he _won't_ get away from me." With those words hanging in the cold, frigid air, Regina headed inside the large mansion, slamming the white door behind her.

* * *

"Miss Swan, you can stop coddling him. Let him come home." Regina had her hands pressed on the sheriff's desk, her brown eyes locked in on Emma's.

She had gone to the sheriff's office a few days later to confront Emma about keeping Henry away from her. Regina knew that the blonde wouldn't give up so easily with it, and it was rather futile for her to go there now, but she wanted to at least try and show the other woman how much her son really meant to her. No one seemed to know nor care about how she felt. All she wanted to do was keep Henry and hold him close. He was the only love she had in this life that was left and she couldn't afford to let him go. That would completely tear her apart. Every time he reprimanded her or ran into Emma's arms instead of her own, it crushed her heart. A heart can only take so much for Regina knew that. But this time, she wouldn't die when her heart was turned to dust. She would have to live and suffer the loss of what could have been. She just couldn't do that and she was desperate enough to get Henry back, she'd do just about anything.

"Coddling him? All I'm doing is keeping him safe with my parents." Emma looked up at Regina, her eyes burning with anger.

"Those two idiots couldn't keep him safe for _nothing_. Let me have him if you know what's best for you."

"What's best for _me_?" Standing up, the blonde shook her head with a breathy laugh. "I can't believe you! You honestly believe threatening me will make me give him up to you?" Emma stared at the brunette with disbelief, her arms crossing over her chest as she made her way around the desk.

Regina watched the blonde, her eyes shifting to the floor to watched the booted feet move closer to her. So uncomfortably close, she closed her eyes as she felt the breath from the other woman hit her face.

"And if you try any of that magic on me, you'll never get Henry back. Not because I'd hold a grudge against, oh no, because I'm sure he wouldn't trust you anymore. You have promised not to use it." Emma threatened, her eyes wide as if she were trying to be intimidating, but that only made the mayor want to laugh. It looked rather enchanting the way she was trying to stand up to her. It was rather comical, to say the least.

Regina scowled inwardly for her thoughts taking away the words she was about to retort back. Instead of replying, she angrily held her hand up, prepared to use a force to knock Emma back. She was seriously pissing her off and she was about to do anything.

_"And if you try any of that magic on me, you'll never get Henry back… You have promised not to use it."_

Those words echoed in Regina's mind, although she hadn't let her hand drop. If she were to use her power on Emma just for an ignorant, angry payback, where would that lead her? It was true, Henry thought her a villain for using magic and she had promised never to use it again. She wanted more than anything to make her son happy and if that meant not using her magic, so be it. She had to do it.

Sighing in defeat, she relaxed herself and let her hand drop, but before it completely fell to her side, she felt Emma take a step closer. The green eyes of the blonde were focused on Regina's face, but not her eyes. No. They were on something else: _her lips_.  
This caused Regina to become slightly confused, wondering what the other woman was up to. She opened her mouth to speak, her voice had surprised her since it had taken an almost breathy tone. "Miss Swan, what are you doing?"

"Stopping you," she replied, her eyes sliding up to meet Regina's.

"Stopping me?" The queen arched an eyebrow, her own gaze dropping to Emma's thin lips before meeting back up with her eyes. "There's nothing to stop me from doing, Miss Swan."

Emma merely smirked before tilting her head up to press her lips against Regina's, a shaky breath blew hot air against the brunette's skin. She merely stood there, unmoving and in shock. She didn't bother to kiss her back, although she was nearly tempted to. Emma's lips were so soft and they felt so sweet on her own. It felt… natural. It felt like it was meant to be.

No, that couldn't be possible. She was just in over her head and the "Saviour" shouldn't be doing this. But it felt nice and Regina almost gave in to the temptation to return the kiss. Her hands gripped the bottoms of her jacket as a single tear slid down her cheek. Why did it feel this way? She never thought much of Emma Swan in any way such as this. She was her enemy. _Or was she?_ Did she just let her love for Henry get in the way of ever actually noticing Emma for the person that she was? Was revenge all that was on her mind? The constant failures to get rid of her meant something and sometimes she even looked forward to confronting Emma. not just for the satisfaction, but to see her.

_No!_ That single word screamed over and over inside of Regina's head as she pulled back with a desperation to get away. She stumbled into a chair, her breathing was slightly heavy as her brown eyes skated over Emma who was now staring at her like a deer caught in headlights. Tears gathered in Regina's eyes, threatening to break through the barriers and come pouring down her cheeks to follow their single companion down. But she didn't allow that for she quickly crossed her arms over her chest and regained her usual serious visage, her eyes heated and threatening.

"You know, Miss Swan, I can put charges on you for sexual harassment." Regina drawled matter-of-factly, narrowing her eyes.  
"What do you plan on doing? Send me out to lock myself up?" Emma looked at her with disbelief, her eyes sparkling slightly as tears glistened in them. "I'm the sheriff in this town_, Madame Mayor_, remember that."

"That still doesn't give you the right to-... to… do _that_!" Regina scowled at her, her lips now pressed together. She had a strong urge to touch them. She could still feel the sensation of the other woman's lips on her own. The sweet taste of that cinnamon hot cocoa and the ever so pleasant tingle that she had received.

"Kiss you? That's all I did. No harm in it. You were going to use magic on me and I couldn't let you break that promise to Henry. I can't let you hurt him." The blonde sighed, her voice becoming weak and defeated. "Look, Regina, I know you love him. Don't risk all that you have with him over some petty anger. I couldn't… let you do that."

The mayor just stared silently at the sheriff, noticing that what had happened seemed to have saddened Emma. She looked more disappointed than not, which would be surprising to Regina for all the blonde had said her actions were directed upon stopping her from using her magic. But there was something there that Regina had read between the lines. It was something that the queen herself wasn't so sure on. Not because she didn't know what it was, but because she had something that was rather similar. The mayor chose to ignore it, though. She couldn't weaken herself with such nonsense.

"Well…" Regina straightened her shoulders and dropped her arms to her sides again, her voice slightly wavering towards the end of the spoken word. "I don't want you near me again, got that? I'm the mayor of this town. Respect my word."

"Barely."

"Excuse me?"

"You're barely the mayor. No one considers it." Emma shrugged and moved to take her place back behind the sheriff's desk, staring coldly into Regina's eyes as she slowly descended into the chair.

"Whatever, Miss Swan." Regina shook her head with a slight scoff and turned to leave the small office, not saying another word.

"_Wait_…" Emma's voice was quiet as she muttered the word, causing Regina to believe it was mostly to herself and not meant to be heard. But the brunette didn't care, for she stopped in the doorway and tilted her head slightly in the direction of the sheriff.

"Look, I'm sorry for kissing you. I know it meant nothing and I won't do it again." Her voice was grim and Regina was sure if she had turned to gaze at Emma, the woman would probably be staring back with tears in her eyes and pain in her heart. Something was up with that woman and Regina was afraid she knew what it was.

"Just don't do it again," her voice cracked as she spoke, but she tried to redeem herself as she cleared her throat, preparing herself to leave again. "When will I see Henry again?"

"I'm bringing him to Granny's for dinner around five. You can eat with him then, but he's going back to Mary Margaret's." Emma responded, her voice this time was more strong and authoritative.

"Fine," Regina gave a slight nod before leaving the office and building completely. Her blood was boiling, her mind racing, and her fists clenching. She just couldn't believe Emma! That woman was still taking her son away from her. Henry was legally hers and she had every right to him. But then again, she didn't want to hurt nor force him to stay with her. That's what weakened her. _Love._

Cora had always said love was weakness and unfortunately it was true. Regina had become weak ever since that child came into her life. She had figured out why she felt so empty. The evil queen always felt the need for vengeance and she figured as soon as she got it fulfilled, she would feel more whole than not. But little did she know, it was something else that she was craving. It was something that she always wanted but had never gotten, until now and Emma Swan was taking that away from her.

"Or is she?" Regina voiced her thoughts, her brows furrowed as she stopped by the side of her car. "No, no… You're just too full of thought at the moment."

"Are you talking to yourself again, Regina?" A voice startled the mayor from her straying thoughts, causing her to slightly jump from the sudden interruption.

She turned to glare at the speaker, whose accent had undoubtedly gave him away.

"Mr. Gold, it's clearly none of your business."

"Oh, dearie, it's more my business than you think. Tell me, what's causing you to speak aloud? Perhaps I could help." Mr. Gold gave her a mischievous grin.

"Everything from you comes with a price. Why would I want to owe you a favor?"

"Maybe I would like to… see where this goes. I have eyes, Regina, just like you." His eyes locked in on her face with an expectant look. "Plus, I'd like to know how it turns out."

"So you know?"

"Know what, dearie?" Rumple smirked, his weight shifting onto the cane he held in front of him. "I know nothing more than you do."

"Never mind. I don't need your help." Regina shook her head upon a sigh and fumbled with her car keys, desperately trying to get them out before the man could say something again.

"It's a shame. You'll never realize it." He muttered softly, the smirk still playing on his lips as he watched her.

She paused and looked at him, her lips parted slightly. "What?"

"You think I don't know what happened?" Mr. Gold chuckled with glee. "Your lipstick there is smudged. You have someone, but you appeared to be troubled."

His words about her lipstick caused Regina to instinctively touch her lips, trying to wipe around her mouth to clear any traces of the makeup away. Her lips began to tingle once again as she remembered the kiss with Emma. It seemed too strange and it made her wanting more, even though it hadn't been much. She wanted Emma's lips on her own again, which caused the mayor to blush from the guilty thoughts.

"Ah, I _knew_ it." He preened, another chuckle slipping from his lips. "You're turning red. You must like them… Do they feel the same?"

That question lingered in her mind for a few minutes. Emma was the one that had kissed her. She was the one that sounded so disappointed when she came up with the excuse that it meant nothing. That didn't exactly bother Regina at that moment, but now that she thought about it, it had saddened her also. It made her heart feel rather heavy. She was almost positive that that was how Emma felt. The look in her eyes when she purposefully broke the kiss. That look was all too familiar. She caught the expression on her own face in reflections. It was a sense of loss. A sense of something that would never be. In the back of Regina's mind, there was a voice telling her that it could be. But that was illogical. There was no way that the Saviour and the Evil Queen could ever be.

"Madame Mayor?" Mr. Gold inquired, the smirk on his face seemed to grow by the minute. "That look on your face… You're in love, aren't you? That's how you look when Henry is taken away from you. I know that look. But there's something a little more… mature to it."

"I am not in love." Regina stated, a look of disgust on her face. "It's impossible. I'm incapable of love-"

"You have your heart, don't you?" The question led the mayor to nod tentatively. "Right. See? And telling by the look on your face, that internal conflict, you don't want to believe it. But you are. And I'm sure the other side is, too."

"You couldn't possibly know." she shook her head. "Or… do you?" Regina's eyes went wide as she watched the devious look on his face. "You do, don't you?"

"I know everything, dearie." He quipped, flicking a piece of her hair with his gloved finger. "Now, go tell her."

"Her?" Regina took the guilty look of a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar.

"Oh, please, Regina. I've always known you preferred the same sex but you've denied yourself and hid it with all your male lovers." Mr. Gold shifted his weight once again, moving to lean against the side of her car. "You have everyone fooled."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I know all, Regina, and I can connect the puzzle pieces which lead you to be guilty. I've seen the way you look at her." His smirk was mischievous. "Now, tell her. She may never know if you don't express your feelings and I must admit, she is also _your_ salvation, not just the town's."

"My salvation?"

"Yes. She can tame you. Make you good like how Henry had." Mr. Gold grinned, pushing away from the car, his eyes drifting towards the police station just across the street.

Regina remained silent, following his gaze momentarily before looking back over to the car. She didn't know what to do. Denying herself was the only choice. Everyone in the town hated her. She was the bad person. Emma was the good one. The two together would just create a hell that everyone will try to break apart. The mayor was scared more than anything about what would happen. Sure, it could go great, but she would fall so hard for the blonde only to get hurt in the end. She couldn't risk what was left of her heart for that. It had happened once before and it would be too big of a risk.

"I don't know, Rumple…" she shook her head. "I can't risk it."

"Take a chance, Regina. Don't be a coward." he muttered, taking off down the street without another word.

"Don't be a coward," she mumbled under her breath as she ducked into her car. With a soft sigh, she gave the police station one last look, trying to catch a peek inside of the window, but the sun reflected off the glass which had made it impossible to see. "I don't know what to do…"

With a shake of her head, she punched the buttons to the radio which had caused a blast of metal music to burst through the speakers. Smiling softly to herself, Regina pulled out of the parking space and headed towards Granny's for her dinner with Henry.

"Mom!" Henry grinned and rushed out to the car that had pulled up to the diner, his little hands planted on the driver's side window.

"Hey, Henry." Regina smiled at her son, unbuckling her seat belt so she could get out. Henry stepped back to allow her out before attacking her with his little arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry for running off like that…" he apologized, looking up at his mother.

Regina just shook her head and pressed a kiss to his forehead, her fingers brushing away a few strands of hair from the area. "It's fine, honey. I'm glad you're alright. I was worried sick about you."

Henry nodded and looked up at his mother, but then he went wide eyed. "Why are you here? Emma and Mary Margaret and David won't be happy that you're here."

"Emma told me that I could have dinner with you." Regina said softly, the tone of her voice held a hint of sorrow. It hurt her that she wasn't able to get full custody of her son anymore. The three of them thought it would be fun to toy with her emotions and strip her of her only happiness. The other day when she picked him up from Emma, it was supposed to have been her time with him. At least Emma was considerate enough to let her dine with her son.

"That's great!" Henry exclaimed, grabbing her hand to tug her into the diner.

Regina smiled widely and let him drag her in. She was more than happy to spend this time with her son. It was quite ridiculous in her mind that they had taken him away from her. If they thought she would ever hurt him in any way, they were insane. She wouldn't harm a single hair on Henry's head. He was her everything.

"Come on, mom." Henry grinned, already sitting at a booth as he waited for his mother.

Regina nodded and slipped into the booth across from him, a loving smile on her face as she looked at her son. "I've missed you."

"I missed you, too, mom." he gave her a delightful grin, which had caused Regina's heart to just melt. She enjoyed seeing her son happy and she wanted nothing but. "I'm sorry I can't be around more." he said softly, grinning up as Ruby handed him a hot cocoa, topped with the usual ground cinnamon.

"I'm sorry that I let this happen." The mayor shook her head upon a sigh. "I did so much wrong, and I see that now. I see where it got me. I lost you."

"You didn't lose me, mom."

"I didn't?"

"No," he said with another smile. "I'm not gone completely, am I? I just live with Emma now."

"You should have been living with me…" Regina said softly to herself, not necessarily wanting Henry to hear her words.

"But you hurt yourself by doing the things that you did." A feminine voice spoke from the booth on the other side of Regina.  
With a slight blink, she turned to be face-to-face with Mary Margaret. A scowl immediately overtook the mayor's face. "But you took him away from me."

"He took himself away from you, Regina." Snow simply said, scooting out of her seat so that she could stand by Regina and Henry's table. "Why are you here, anyways? You're not supposed to be around him and the incident yesterday left us all wary of you."  
"I didn't do anything to my son," Regina ground her teeth together, her brown eyes focused sharply on the black-haired woman. "And I'm here because Emma told me I could have dinner with Henry."

"Emma told me no such thing." Mary Margaret argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "How do I know if you're lying? How if you're here to try to take him away again?"

"How else would I know he would be here at this time?" Regina retorted question was nothing but a growl as she got up from her spot. She shot an apologetic glance to her son, murmuring an "I'm sorry," under her breath. Her head turned to face Mary Margaret again, her eyes burning like molten lava. "You know, you're the one who is becoming the villain. Not me."

With that, she shoved passed the pixie haired woman and headed stormed off to the exit, her heels clicking madly on the floor.

"What do you mean?" Mary Margaret quickly followed her, her own brows furrowed.

Regina stopped mid-stride and glared at Snow, her teeth bared angrily. "You're taking a mother's son away from her when she has done nothing wrong to deserve that. You're taking the only thing that I love. That's keeping me the way that I am." Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she blinked them back not wanting to allow herself to show any sort of emotion around Snow White. Although, she knew enough that her eyes masked the pain she felt.  
"I would have killed you by now. But I'm trying to change." she muttered, giving Mary Margaret one last dirty look before marching out the door, not bothering to wait for the woman's response. She was standing there with guilt on her face anyways. She knew she got her point through and hopefully it was a matter of time before they acted upon that.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I know that this has turned out to be later than expected. I have quite a bit of the story written, but I'm just dubious about putting it up. I do hope you like it, though! Please R & R!**

* * *

Later that night, she did nothing more than sit on her son's bed and hold his pillow close to her chest. Every night since Henry had left she had done this, a hope in her heart that maybe one of the times that she were to enter the room that her Henry would be in here, sound asleep. But that had never happened and she was starting to give up hope of ever seeing him here again. She missed him too much and whatever good was left in her heart was slowly shriveling up and turning to dust.

They had ruined her.

They didn't have a right to just take her son away.

But it was Henry's choice, she thought to herself. It was his choice to go with them. He didn't like Regina's use of magic. Especially for bad things. But the Evil Queen was trying to redeem herself, doing more good than bad. She never got much chance to do that. All she wanted was her son back and she was quite fearful that that would never happen. That they would keep him away from her. Take away her happiness as she took theirs.

"But you're fortunate enough to get your happiness back," she stood up and threw Henry's pillow back onto the bed. "You'll turn him against me and I'll never get to see him again."

That realization hit her like a rock. It was true. She would lose him forever if they became successful with their intentions.

But Regina would do everything in her power to keep that from happening. Yes, that was the plan. Make him love her. Make him want to live with her and not them. He wouldn't even know he was related to them by the time she was finished.

"But that would only push him away." she told herself with a whisper as she exited the small bedroom. Regina made her way into the hall, then down the stairs, following the long curve down until she reached the large foyer.

It was too tough and sticky of a situation to get into. She knew she wouldn't come out without getting hurt and losing him. Either way would take her son away from her, forever. Leaning against the wall at the bottom of the staircase, she closed her eyes with her arms loosely crossed over her chest.

There was a flash of blonde that appeared underneath her eyelids, causing the mayor tense up. A face came into view. A very familiar face. One that she would never forget. One that she wanted to forget. Sparkling green eyes, high defined cheekbone, soft, milky skin… That woman haunted her thoughts. Why the hell did she have to do that? Regina had no interest for her, or at least that's what she was telling herself.

"I don't," she muttered disgustedly under her breath as she allowed her eyes to open again. It was nothing but a mere kiss and Emma had said it herself: it had meant nothing. Regina sighed softly, an overwhelming sadness now had sunk to the pit of her stomach. For some reason she didn't like the idea of having to dismiss the thoughts about Emma. It made her feel lonesome and empty.

But it was wrong to have these feelings for the blonde sheriff. She was the Evil Queen and Emma was the good guy going against her.

"And we're both women," she added to her thoughts aloud. It was strange to her since she hadn't once seen someone of one gender to fall for another of the same. Regina never recalled it in the Enchanted Forest and vaguely saw it on the television. To her and probably everyone else, it was not normal.

But it felt like it was. It felt like everything was right. For some odd reason, she felt complete with Emma. She felt a sense of fuzzy warmth in her heart and a wholeness that she hadn't felt since before she had become queen. Those feelings of hope and love when she was a young girl. Those feelings that she had with Daniel.

"No," she reprimanded herself firmly, knowing that it was an insane idea that she felt this way towards the blonde woman. Sure, Daniel had told her to love again, but she still felt rather guilty for having any feelings towards other people. She couldn't betray him like that. But it was his last wish to her. To love again and she seemed to have taken no problem to it.

_I am not in love with the sheriff,_ she told herself repeatedly as if she were trying to force herself to believe those words, and once she did, she would be free of those restricting thoughts. She wouldn't be weakened.

Closing her eyes once again, she pushed herself away from the wall. The house was void of noise beside the sound of her heels thumping on the floor as she moved to the front door. Although, her thoughts were loud in her mind, feeling as if a thousand voices were threatening her with their taunting words.

_You'll never get him back._

_He doesn't love you._

_How could you move on?_

_Then love again._

_It's impossible to._

_You have to give up on it._

_Everyone will hate you._

_Everyone hates you anyways._

_They want you dead._

Regina held her head, her eyes squeezing shut as a sobbed shook her body. She just couldn't take it anymore. Everything that was happening made her feel so worthless. She couldn't make a choice that would benefit anybody and everyone would hate her.

At the moment, she felt like taking herself away from existence. But that would only give the satisfaction of winning to the Charmings, since Emma would end up getting fully custody of her son. It was a losing situation and she couldn't allow that. She couldn't leave Henry. She couldn't hurt him.

With a sigh, Regina rubbed the bridge of her nose and slipped her shoes off by the door. She needed to get back to the office later to get some work done, but she didn't feel like it now. Right now, her body felt like it weighed a ton with all the weight on her shoulders. She hated it. She hated being so depressed with the thoughts of past events swirling around in her mind like a storm, tearing her down piece by piece. THere wasn't much left of the woman anymore. She was left broken and shattered, fearful if she would ever become complete again. Regina didn't think so. It was impossible for a villain to have a happy ending. She's been told so many times that she'd never get one and she let those words finally get to her head.

Her feet had guided her to her study and she wasn't aware of the subconscious movements until she had a glass of cider spiked with scotch in her hand. Not questioning herself, Regina downed the glass and sucked in a breath from the bitter taste before pouring herself another glass. Drinking usually loosened her up and took away the problems for the moment. It's best, she thought to herself. It wasn't good being stressed constantly, although she heard of people who dealt with their problems through alcohol, such as Leroy- well, Grumpy now that the curse had been broken. He was a lonely alcoholic and Regina barely held any sympathy for him, but she sympathized herself as she poured another glass. It was a shame to waste such a life.

"Whatever. No one cares, anyways. If they all desire the Evil Queen to live in misery. So be it." she muttered to herself. "I'll drink to it."

After her fourth glass of the alcoholic cider that she kept for a… rainy day, she stumbled upstairs to her bedroom, muttering curses under her breath about how Snow was a bitch for ruining her life and Charming was just the idiot assisting her to make it worse, then went on about how they bore the child that she so conveniently had strange feelings towards that the queen knew weren't exactly normal. Scoffing to herself with the last thoughts, she fell into bed, still clad in her mayoral attire of her tight pencil skirt and a deep red button up silk blouse.

"I'm gonna have one hell of a hangover," were the last slurred words to leave her lips before passing out.

* * *

It was a long, irritated sight that brought her back from her straying thoughts. Green eyes focused in on a small brunette boy that had been staring for the past five minutes. A blonde brow quirked as she gazed at the boy in front of her, whom had absently been playing with a menu that had sanctioned at the table.

"It's not nice to stare," she said, straightening her spine out as if nothing happened. Her weight shifted from one hip to the other as the previous had started to become sore.

"It is when I'm trying to get your attention." The boy's voice was dripped thick with irritation.

Just like his mother's.

Emma sighed at her thoughts before shaking them off, causing the blonde strands of her hair to bounce with the movements. Her eyes wondered momentarily to glance at her surroundings. It was a quick reminder that she and Henry were at Granny's enjoying a lunch for just the two of them since Neal had decided to go off and do his thing.  
Whatever that was.

She grunted with slight irritation. The two had been in a complicated relationship since his arrival to Storybrooke. The two weren't exactly dating again, but they might just as well be. Neal, Henry, and herself had been quite the little family. They took occasional walks with each other along the cool, windy beach, and when they weren't doing that, they headed to Granny's or the Bed and Breakfast for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sometimes they just took refuge to wherever was available to catch up and talk.

Emma told herself that it was mostly for Henry's sake. She didn't necessarily want to give Neal the wrong impression. She did, in fact, still love him. But that was something of the past. The blonde sheriff knew that she couldn't just rush right back into a relationship with him again. He had caused her so much unwanted pain and she still had never forgiven that man for what he had done.

Everything would have been so different if he would have just stayed.

So much would have changed and Emma didn't know if she exactly wanted that.

By being sent to prison, she had Henry and had to give him up for a better life than that she could have ever given him with Neal. He had been living the dream with Regina in that goddamn mansion of hers. He's luckier than he even has knowledge of and Emma only wished he knew just how lucky he was. He didn't have to live the life that his mother had, being sprung from family to family in the foster system. Never having a stable home. Never having loving parents to give her anything that she had wanted.

Henry was a lucky kid and she was baffled by how disrespectful he seemed towards the mother that gave him unconditional love. But he was just a kid. That's that.

"Emma?" Henry's voice shook the blonde from her thoughts once again, causing her to blink and gaze at the son that she had given up eleven years ago. His little hand was waving in front of her face as if she had been staring at something for a worrisome amount of time.

And so she had.

Her eyes were fixated on the menu that lay limply on the table in front of her. Emma had let her thoughts, once again, take over. Gladly she hadn't let them delve deeper, or else she'd be pretty comatose.

"I'm hungry," he complained, a cute pout on his lips.

"I know, I know, kid. Order something." Emma shrugged and wave a nearby waitress over to take her son's order. She slumped back against the booth as he did exactly that, muttering her own order of her usual hot cocoa with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

"You're not gonna order any food?" Henry asked her as the waitress walked away to place their order to the kitchen. "It's... lunch, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm just not hungry. Don't worry about me, kid." Emma shrugged upon a sigh and pushed a hand through her blonde tendrils.

"Okay…" Henry shrugged and offered up a smile. "So you told mom that she could have dinner with me last night?"

"Uh, yeah," she blinked slightly, caught off guard by the question. She was surprised that Regina had actually showed up for dinner with him. Emma thought the brunette had brushed off the offer since, upon the blonde's own arrival to the diner, she wasn't here and Henry was conversing with her parents.

It was rather suspicious, to Emma, that Regina would skip out on having dinner with her son. She knew how much the mayor loved Henry and would do anything to just spend a single moment with him. That look on her face when she did tell her about dining with him was that of something that melted her heart.

Melted her heart?

Dammit. Emma sighed at that thought. She had told herself time and time again after the mayor's departure from the sheriff's office. That kiss had meant nothing, or at least that's what she kept telling herself until she finally had believed it.

She did it to stop Regina from using magic on her. The sheriff didn't want to exactly die under the hands, or purple shrouds of smoke, of the former Evil Queen.

"Really?" Henry tilted his head, his little brow scrunched together.

"What happened? Didn't she stay?" Emma asked curiously, wondering as to why the adoptive mother of her son didn't stay to dine. It was strange, in fact, and the blonde wanted to know what happened.

"Mary Margaret sort of… accused mom of lying about your inviting her to eat with me." Henry hesitantly explained as if the event were to unfold once again. "Mom got irritated with her and left…"

"Oh." Emma frowned, cradling her face in her hands as she allowed her elbows to set on the table. "I'm sorry. I thought she would… I thought you two would enjoy…"

"I know. I… enjoyed the time that I did get with her." Henry shrugged. "Despite what she does, I know that she loves me. I never really bothered to believe it before, I guess."

"Yeah," she sighed softly. "Your mother does love you and right now, she's just hurting. She's hurting because you're with me. It's my fault."

"No it isn't. It's mine."

"You're just a kid, Henry, don't blame yourself for this."

"Here's your hot cocoa."

Emma blinked at hearing the familiar voice, but not the one that she had expected from the waitress that was serving them. Her green eyes fell upon a familiar, devilish smile. That of the ever deal-making imp.

"Gold," she said coolly, her eyes on the mug of hot cocoa that had been slid in front of her.

Rumple smirked and sat a basket of fries and a burger in front of Henry, the smirk soon fading to a more friendly curve of the lips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked when he hadn't responded, his eyes were suspiciously locked on Henry's smiling face as he dug into the food gratefully.

"Can't I see my grandson, dearie?" Gold finally turned to face Emma. There was a look in his eye that sent a shiver down the blonde's spine. It was a sort of knowing look that forced Emma to avert her emerald orbs to the hot cocoa in front of her. The steam slapped her in the face, although she had welcomed it, always one for the steaming hot liquids.

Rumple's eyes were locked on the side of Emma's head for the longest time before he broke the gaze to offer a smile. "I'd hate to cut this pleasant chat short, but I must be off."

"How unfortunate," she mumbled, cupping the mug in her hands, the warmth spreading from the ceramic to give her a pleasant warmth. She sighed softly and brought the mug to her lips.

"Enjoy your cocoa, dearie" The imp's voice called as he turned away. There was something eerie within that statement, but Emma hadn't paid any mind to it.

Tilting the mug, she allowed a swallow of the hot, sweet liquid through her parted lips. Once it had hit, she relaxed and leaned against the booth. "So, kid, how's your burg-" her words were cut off, an unexpected thing for Henry for his eyes went wide as his birth mother's head hit the table.

"Emma!" He gasped in horror, unsure as to whether or not his birth mother had been playing a hideous joke on him. But he was proved wrong when he hopped up from his seat and rushed to the sheriff, trying desperately to shake her awake- in which Emma hadn't so much as twitched.

"Someone! Help!" he pleaded in a heart wrenching cry. "Mr. Gold!"

Henry had soon flapped to the imp who was enjoying a table by himself in the corner away from the scene. He had a sort of smug look on his face that the eleven-year-old hadn't quite caught. That man was up to something that his grandson was clueless about. He desperately pleaded for the older man's help, wanting so much for his birth mother to be woken up. But he merely shook his head, muttering that there is no way that he could help.

"Go ask your mother," he finally said after the boy relentlessly badgered him. "She'll know what to do." And with that, he went back to the newspaper in his hand, sipping from a mug of steaming, black coffee.

Henry didn't even give enough time to question the man's suggestion for he darted over to Ruby who was now next to Emma, trying the same that the youth had done not too long ago. "Tell… Tell Snow and Charming to get here! I'm going to go get help!"

And with that, the mayor's son rushed out the exit in search of his adoptive mother.

* * *

Regina woke to the sound of a doorbell, it's short melody ringing through the quiet and empty hallways, causing her head to begin pounding. The mayor opened her eyes, sitting up in her bed with a soft groan of irritation. Who would that be at this hour to disturb her sleep?  
Peeking over at the clock on the wall across from her bed, she checked the time. It was twelve thirty. Twelve thirty, she thought bitterly to herself, pushing the warm covers back so she could get out of bed. Whoever was at her door would be getting a beating, or at least grabbed up by a tree so she could sleep a little longer. That drink last night along with the buzz that she had received from it left her with a minor headache, but it was enough to make the former queen want to crawl back into bed.

"Buzz," she muttered to herself, knowing that she had gotten more than buzzed. She was drunk off her ass last night and had barely made it upstairs without passing out. The way her clothes were wrinkled and the fact that she had still been wearing her work clothes had told her that she drank too much. Normally the mayor wouldn't allow herself to wear such a thing to bed. With a shake of her head she started towards the door.

The brunette walked out of her bedroom and down the wide spiraled stairs with heavy steps, that of anger and grogginess. Her head hurt like hell from last night's drinking binge and she was far from the mood to deal with people right now. She hated people sometimes. Hell, she hated them most of the time and she especially had an exquisite anger for the person on the other side of her front door.  
Regina pulled the front door open with great force, startling the younger boy on the other side. She blinked slightly, her expression and mood tampering down as she noticed it was her son, Henry. He stared at her, his cheeks wet and his little nose red. He had been crying.

"What happened, Henry?" Regina frowned, crouching down in front of him so she could be eye level with her son. "Who made you sad?"

"N-no one…" Henry whined softly, his arms wrapping tightly around his adoptive mother's neck. "It's Emma… She won't wake up."

"What…?" Regina wrapped her arms around her son to return the embrace, but had to immediately pull back to look into his eyes. "What do you mean she won't wake up?"

The eleven-year-old shook his head, wiping his cheeks on his arm sleeves. "She just… passed out after drinking hot chocolate at Granny's. She won't wake up. You have to help her."

"Henry," she pleaded softly, her eyes welling with tears to sympathize with her son. "I can't help her."

"Yes you can!" Henry wailed, grabbing a hold of her hand, then tugged on it, urging the mayor to follow him. "You have to. You know how these curses work."

"Curse?" Regina stood up, but didn't move otherwise for she planted her feet on the floor to prevent her son from taking off with her.

"I think it's a curse. Someone did something to her like you did to Snow White… but it wasn't an apple, it was hot chocolate." Henry let go of her hand and looked up at him, his eyes were like a puppy's, big and helpless.

"Henry..." Regina gazed down at her son, a soft sigh slipping from her lips. "I can't help," her voice cracked slightly as she spoke the painful words. It was true, she couldn't break the curse. Only true love was strong enough to break the curse and the mayor knew that she wasn't it for Emma. That was impossible. "I'm sorry."

"You can't just let her die!" Henry cried, a mournful expression on his face.

"Henry," she pleaded with him, moving to wrap her arms around the little boy. "I can't save her, either."

"Mr. Gold said you could..." he looked at his mother before pushing out of her arms forcefully, glaring at her with disdain. "You just don't want to. You want to keep your grudge with Emma in the way."

"It's impossible to help her, Henry. Only true love's kiss can break that curse-" she tried to elaborate, but Henry merely shook his head and ran off down the path that lead to the manor.

Regina stood there, staring momentarily as her son ran off once again. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath and quickly slipped the shoes on that she had left by the front door last night. Moments later, she ran after her son, hoping to redeem herself and become worthy of him. She at least needed to show up, to show that she cared.

She did care. She really did care about Emma and it scared her to death when she heard about the blonde sheriff's state. The feeling of great loss came over her, which brought her back to losing Daniel. For some reason, she felt as if she couldn't let Emma just slip through her fingers like she did with him. There was a chance at saving the blonde, even if it wasn't her own self doing the bidding. Perhaps Henry's father would be the one to help. She knew those two loved each other.

_Gods, how I hate that,_ she thought to herself, but immediately blinked in surprise. Why did she just think that? Those two were meant to be together and Regina was nothing but a third wheel. She was Henry's mother, that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. She couldn't intervene in their lives like that. She knew Henry was happy that he had his father in his life and was very hopeful that his biological parents were going to get back together.

_What's that going to do for you?_

Tear Henry away from her, no doubt. As soon as they got together, she was sure they would want her son in their family. She couldn't bear to let that happen. But she couldn't just let Emma die. She would feel even more lost if the sheriff would never wake. Maybe Gold was right after all. Maybe she held more feelings towards the woman than she wanted to admit.

With a shake of her head, she tried to exit her thoughts upon opening the door to Granny's. She saw Henry standing there, his face buried in Ruby's shirt as they both stood next to Emma, who had been slumped over the table in one of the booths. Several others were there as well, most of the town actually. All crowding around the unconscious blonde. Mary Margaret and David were both standing close to their daughter, holding her hands and willing her to wake up.

Mr. Gold was standing alone outside of the crowd, leaning against his cane as he peeked through the bodies. Regina had remained unnoticed upon her arrival and wished to keep it that way for she quietly moved over to man, her heels making soft clacks against the floor.

"Ah, Madame Mayor, how thoughtful of you to come." Mr. Gold quipped, giving her a slight smirk. "I've been waiting for you."

"Henry told me that you said that I could help?" Regina gave him a pointed look, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I know that you can. All you have to do is kiss her." He smirked more deviously, but his eyes were still on Emma.

Regina scoffed and shook her head, her eyes directing towards the door as Neal came charging in, his face shown panic. She waved a hand over to him. "He's the one that can save her."

"No he isn't." Mr. Gold stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And what makes you think that? They love each other."

"Just because they love each other doesn't mean that it's true love." he retorted mildly, his eyes now on Neal as he slowly moved over to Emma, a lost look on his face.

"Why do you care?" Regina shook her head with a smirk of disbelief and watched the scene between the crowd in front of her.

Neal had bent to his knees by Emma's side, both Mary Margaret and David stepping aside to allow him through, but still remained close to their daughter.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse and dull as he looked up at the two.

"She drank something. We think it was a curse." David spoke as his wife burst into tears.

"You can break it with true love's kiss!" Henry shouted as he ran over to his father. "Any curse can be broken." he had a hopeful smile on his face. "You have to kiss her."

"I know…" Neal wrapped his arms around his son for a moment before turning to Emma, determination on his face. He leaned forward, a hand moving to brush the golden strands of hair away from Emma's face, then tilted her head up so he could press his lips against hers.

Everyone tensed as they watched, waiting for Emma to wake up, but nothing happened. Neal had noticed that for he began to panic and kiss her again, then again and again, finalizing with a deeper kiss. Still, Emma had remained unaffected and dead to the world.

"Why won't she wake up?" He moaned in distress, tears glimmering in his eyes as he looked at the crowd, his eyes stopping on his father through the people. "You know most about these curses. Tell me!" he got up and marched over to Gold, everyone's eyes following him.

Regina bit her lip and moved out of the way, not wishing to get between the two. Her eyes remained curiously on them as Gold just simply shrugged. She didn't even know why Rumple was trying to push her unto the sheriff and not his own son. There was something fishy going on there and she wasn't exactly sure what it was. Why the hell he was keeping Baelfire away from Emma.

"Because you are not her twue wuv." A smirk spread across his lips, his gaze moving over to Regina for a split second.

"What do you mean?" Neal furrowed his brows. "What did you do?"  
"I did nothing." He shrugged. "It's fate that's doing the bidding."

"So she… won't wake up? You have to do something, papa." Neal glared at his father, his hands coming up to grab fistfuls of Gold's jacket.

"I can't do anything, Bae. Only Regina can."

"Regina?" He looked over to the mayor, his brows furrowing. "You think she can wake her up? No curse can be broken unless…"

"That's right, Bae. Now, Regina, go wake your sheriff up."

"Are you insane, Gold?" Regina glared at the man, her cheeks flushing as everyone's surprised eyes landed on her. She felt like she was going to burn alive from the fire in their gazes. Her own brown eyes landed on Henry who was now staring at Regina as well, tears on his face, but confusion in his eyes.

"Mom can't be Emma's true love. That's…" Henry knitted his brows together and shook his head, looking up at his grandparents. "That's not possible, is it? They hate each other."

"I don't know, Henry…" Mary Margaret spoke softly, looking over to Gold, a hint of fear in her eyes. "That man is never wrong."

"Kiss her, Regina. Prove to everyone that you two are meant to be together. She's your happy ending." Rumple urged Regina forward, pushing her through the crowd towards the unconscious Emma.

Regina could only abide as she stumbled forward, her eyes locked on the blonde's peaceful face. Her own expression softened and her eyes immediately sparkled with tears. Pressing her red painted lips together, Regina got to her knees, her eyes never leaving Emma's face.

"Go on, Regina, kiss her." Mr. Gold urged, his eyes on her from the back of the crowd. He knew and Regina could tell. He always knew.

Closing her eyes, Regina tilted her head forward, one of her hands coming up to lay softly on Emma's cheek. A shaky breath escaped her lips as they parted. She was nervous and she could feel that everyone's eyes were burning holes into her skull, anxious as to whether or not the imp was right about Regina.

She puckered her lips and pressed them against Emma's, a soft and hesitant kiss that sent pleasurable ripples through her body, causing her skin to pebble and her breath to hitch. It felt just like the first time Emma had kissed her. Everything felt right and she felt safe. Even that familiar tang of cinnamon and the sweet taste of the cocoa was still there. Regina felt so comforted by the presence of the other woman for some strange reason, even though she remained unconscious, that was, until she felt the familiar gust of true love's kiss emanate from their lips, pushing passed everyone in a taunting way.

Then she gasped, her green eyes popping open. Emma stared straight into Regina's eyes, a look of momentary confusion in her own until she realized what had happened.  
"Regina?" she asked softly, sitting up in the spot. Her eyes gazed curiously around at everyone that had stared at the two.

Regina did the same, noticing the looks of shock and abject horror on their faces. She felt like she had screwed up big time by kissing Emma, even though it had saved her life. Her brown orbs turned back in the direction of the blonde, a smile immediately claiming her lips.  
"You've woken up," she said softly, standing back up.

"You…" Emma furrowed her brows and slipped out of the booth, her gaze landing on her parents' shocked faces. "Did she…?"

The Charmings both nodded, a slight look of reluctance on their faces. Regina scowled at them, realizing that they weren't exactly pleased that she was the one that had woken their daughter. She was their daughter's true love. It wasn't her fault and they shouldn't blame her for that. There was no cheating fate.

"Congratulations, you found your true love," Mr. Gold smirked, pushing through the crowd as he hobbled up to the two women, his eyes piercing Emma with a devious look.

"You did this, didn't you?" Regina turned to look at the man, her eyes narrowing in on him.

"Did what? Did he… poison me?" The blonde inquired, her green eyes turning to stare at Mr. Gold as well. "Did you do it? Why?"

"Yes, yes, I did. I had to show you." He stated with a roll of his eyes. "You were refusing to believe you were in love with Ms. Swan. But now you can't deny it, can you, Mayor?"

"You love me?" Emma asked quickly, not letting Regina get enough time to give Mr. Gold a snarky reply. She tilted her head and extended a hand to gently grab the brunette's hand, lifting it up slightly.

Regina closed her mouth, since she had been interrupted, and looked at the blonde with a slightly sheepish smile. "I…" she bit her lower lip, looking down at their hands. She tried her best to ignore the tingling sensation that shot up through her arm and the pleasant burning in her lower belly.

"I think so… When you kissed me, I-"

"You kissed her?" Mary Margaret squawked, causing both the sheriff and mayor to jump. Regina nearly forgot that there was a crowd around them, all still looking on with shock embedded in their faces. Emma seemed to have the power to make the world around her melt away and for some reason, Regina enjoyed that. All she wanted was just Emma and herself to be alone and not have to worry about the thoughts of others around them.

"Yes, mom…" Emma looked over to her mother and sighed. "It was the other day. I was trying to stop her from using magic on me."  
"Oh, bullshit!" Regina slit her eyes, glaring at the blonde. "I was going to use magic on you, but decided against it way before you decided to kiss me. And I told you I wasn't, but you did it anyways. So the real question here is 'why?'"

Emma turned a dubious look on Regina, her cheeks dusting with a light pink as she stared at the mayor. Clearing her throat, she tried to remain calm and cordial. "I didn't want you to ruin things with Henry."

"Miss Swan," the mayor gave her a pointed look, one of her perfectly manicured brows quirking.

"Fine, because I wanted to. I've always wanted to. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed my attraction towards you until, well, now." she finally retorted, her lips pursed together after she had finished.

"My gods… you look adorable…" Regina mumbled under her breath, which had caused the sheriff to turn a deeper shade of pink. "I mean-... You- I… I hadn't really paid any attention to it." she stumbled over her words, trying desperately to keep her composure, especially in front of everyone that was still there.

"Well, now it's out in the open and everyone here knows we're highly attracted to each other." Emma said fluidly, taking a graceful step towards Regina. The brunette could feel the hot breath from the other woman hit her face, which caused another sensation of tingles to shoot down her spine.

Regina raised her eyes up to meet Emma's, her own expression softening as she stared into the familiar green eyes. Those eyes had the power to make everything around them dissolve. It was as if the two were the only ones on Earth when she looked into the beautiful pools.

Slowly, her head ducked down so she could claim the blonde's lips, her hand squeezing Emma's own as she had done so. It was like getting shocked, her lips tingled and her skin pebbled with excitement. The burning sensation in lower abdomen roared like a fire when Emma had returned the kiss, slowly and sweetly. Her heart fluttered wildly, giving her the fear that it would pop out of her chest. But she slowly drew away from that thought as she continued to kiss Emma, their lips molded together perfectly, fitting as if they were meant to be. Regina wrapped her arms around the sheriff, pulling her close and tight against her small frame, her tongue gently pushing through the other woman's lips.

"Excuse me…" David cleared his throat. "It's sweet and all that you found each other's love and whatnot, but there are kids here and I'm sure the town doesn't want to see you two swallowing each other's faces."

"And no one is really taking too well to this…" Mary Margaret said in a low tone as the two women pulled apart to look at the two.

Regina turned her head away from Snow to look at the crowd around them, which had mostly broke up by now, but a few had stayed with their eyes still on the two. Disgust was on their faces now, which had made the mayor's heart plummet to her stomach.

Slowly, she turned to face Mary Margaret with a guilty expression. Realizing she still had her arm wrapped around Emma, she quickly released her grip and stepped back, smoothing her hands on the pencil skirt that she wore.

"I… deeply apologize for that…"she mumbled softly, flustering in her spot as if all the eyes in the world were focused in on her in her undergarments.  
"Don't be sorry, Regina." Emma said softly, a soft frown claiming her slightly swollen lips. "Look, we shouldn't be ashamed of our love and shouldn't let their opinions get in the way."

"Our love? There's no-... I should go." Regina said quickly, the walls of defense raising as she took a few more steps away until she accidentally bumped into Henry. She jumped forward, her eyes locking in on her son's as she looked back. He looked rather sad, yet a forced smile was on his face as he gazed up at her.

"Henry…" she muttered, knowing that he would be most affected by all of this. His two mothers just made out and she was sure he wasn't exactly pleased since he had been hoping his father would end up with Emma.

"It's alright, mom." he said, trying to give her a reassuring smile even though Regina could see past the feigned happiness. It only wrenched her heart and made her wish that she had never fallen for the blonde-haired beauty. She hated herself for it.

"I'm sorry…" she spoke in a broken voice, her brown eyes beginning to glimmer with unshed tears. With a slightly lowered head, Regina turned back to look at Emma, inhaling a sharp breath before she spoke.

"I think it's best if we go our separate ways, Miss Swan." The words spoken from the mayor were that filled with a deep pain, an emotional scar that would not heal. She hadn't waited for a reply, for she quickly made her way out of the diner, each step a burden that weighed her down with a deep lash of sorrow, drowning her in a sea of her own emotion.

The scene had been an internal debate that she had lost, letting her head win over her heart. It was quite an impossibility for her to be with Emma, or so she thought, considering she knew the blonde had a love for Henry's father. Henry, himself, also had played a key factor in her decision, considering his emotions towards the two's revelation had not pleased him. She didn't want him to hate Regina for stealing away his mother and father's happiness. As much as it pained her, she couldn't do that to him. She couldn't destroy his dreams.

Each step away from her squeezed her heart. She was walking out on what may be her only chance of happiness, and for what reason?

"I can't hurt Henry," she mumbled to herself as she pressed forward to her Benz just on the other side of the street.

_...can't hurt Henry_. Those thoughts resounded in her mind, echoing in her ears and haunted her very soul. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't even know how he felt about it. Maybe that was just an excuse? Was the once proud and mighty Evil Queen cowering away when it came to her heart? She just didn't want to get hurt again… She didn't want to lose Emma like how she had lost Daniel.  
_But I saved her!_ she shouted in her mind, the words screaming as if they were trying to get through to her brain. But that hadn't happened. It didn't matter that she had woken Emma. It didn't matter that she was her true love. No. It didn't.

"Regina!" A voice had called out behind the former mayor, causing her to stop in the middle of her path to spin around towards the source of the voice.

The long, brown haired man stood there at the end of the path to Granny's, his cane held firmly in front of him. He gave her a slight frown, a displeased look on his face. "Where do you think you're going, dearie? You have your true love in there. You know who she is."

"I… _can't_." she pleaded, stressing the word as if it were such a sin to express.

"And why not?"

"She can't possibly feel-"

"Oh, but she does, dearie. Have you seen the way she looks at you? I've noticed it before today and I've seen you look at her the same." Mr. Gold smirked softly, giving her a pointed look as he crossed over the street with a slight hobble to reach her. "You're in love."

"It's just an infatuation," Regina argued, shaking her head. "I don't have time for this."

"And what? You're going to go sift through the same papers you've read over a thousand times again? You're no longer the mayor of this town."

"For your information, this town is in perfect, running order because of me." She stated matter-of-factly. "So I need to get back to it."

"You're just making excuses, Regina." Gold reprimanded with a haughty shake of his head. "You're avoiding her for some reason. What reason is that?"

"Oh, I'm sure you already know." She bit back, her words sharp and clearly annoyed by his perseverance to get her back into the diner. She knew those were his intentions by the sparkling humor in his devilish eyes.

"Yes, maybe I do. but I want you to realize yourself why you're doing this. Is it even a logical reason? You won't hurt your son, you know." A slight smirk now spread across his lips, a mischievous taunt to the brunette who was now looking rather skeptical of her thoughts.

"No," she quickly said. "Why do you care anyways? Don't you want your son with Emma? Make him happy..."

Rumple halfheartedly chuckled, throaty and taunting, his brown eyes burning holes into Regina's skull. "She doesn't make him the happiest he should be. He has a different destiny away from… Snow White's daughter. Her heart is elsewhere and it's pointless keeping her away and making my son miserable."

"So this is for your own benefactor." Regina hissed, her eyes narrowing on him.

The pawn shop broker remained neutral, his eyes icy cold. "To assume makes an ass out of both you and me, dearie. I suggest you keep that sharp tongue in your mouth. Baelfire in Henry's life is desired, but that doesn't mean he has to be with Miss Swan." Mr. Gold seemed to stare pass Regina, his eyes fixated on the black sheen of the mayor's Mercedes. "He can do better, anyways."

Regina bristled at his words, her teeth slightly baring. "I would rethink that statement if I were you, Gold."

Those words merely caused the imp to smirk, a knowing look in his eyes. This only caused the brunette to slip her mask back on, the usual neutral politician face overtook her features.

"Now, Mayor Mills, I suggest you get Emma before she decides to take Bae back from your sudden desertion."

"I cannot be with her." Regina tightened her hands into tight-balled fists. "It's… Everything is just too complicated."

"Can't or won't, Regina?"

Regina's brown pools tore daggers through the imp's skin before ducking into her black car, deciding against a response to the irritating man's question. She knew the answer to that simple three-worded-question, but hell if she would give him the satisfaction of saying it. Regina was quite sure that damned little deal-maker knew exactly what was on her mind.

"Suit yourself, Regina." Gold took her silence as an answer that he had very much knew, then, he stepped away from the car to look at her before she slammed the door shut without a reply.

"Go fuck yourself," she mumbled under her breath as she slipped the key into the car's ignition.


	3. Chapter 3

Days had passed since that day, melting onto week-lengths. Regina stopped counting a week ago when she had encountered… _that_. It was something she wished to forget and wished that she could oh so desperately not think about anymore. But she knew it wouldn't happen and wallowing in her own self-pity was something to be ashamed. It was very unbecoming.

No one seemed to take notice in her absence, upon being locked away in her house for a month. The actions of the people outside told the mayor just what she thought. They didn't give a flea's fart about it. Not like she cared anyways. No one wanted anything to do with the brunette mayor.

Not even _her_.

The blonde hadn't even bothered to check to see if she were okay. But then again, the former queen had concluded that the reason was quite simple and logical. Regina had virtually left Emma standing in that diner, probably alone and rejected. Much how she, herself, felt after the crowd within Granny's showed so much disgust towards the women. It was sickening and quite heart-wrenching. Even her own son had tried so very hard to hide his disappointment.

That was another problem. Henry. She hadn't seen her son for the entirety of the month she kept herself within the mayoral manner. Emma never bothered to come by again to drop her little prince off on the scheduled day, nor did she come the week after that like she usually would if he were sick or had to stay home in an attempt to finish a project. Neither one arrived last weekend, either.

They had come to a term of agreement when it came to custody of their son. Emma was to have Henry full time. Regina got him every Thursday since the mayor had meetings those days, in which she got out in time for lunch. She would pick Henry up from school early, making sure that he got any assignments needed from that day, and took him to Granny's for lunch. They would normally spend the day together as Henry told his mother about his week since being away. They usually ended up at him with a lovely home-cooked meal of lasagna- Henry's favorite. He stayed the night and Regina would drop him off at school come Friday morning.

As for weekends, that only happened once a month. The brunette mayor figured that the Charmings were too afraid of keeping Henry for an extended period of time. Their distrust of her was quite obvious by the limited amount of time they allowed her to see her son.

And currently, it was quite astounding that they had broken their promise to let her see Henry. For one whole month, she hadn't laid eyes on him. Well, that was, until one week ago today. When she saw _them_, consisting of Emma, Henry, and the sperm donor idiot that Rumple called his son.

_It had been about three weeks since Regina decided to show her face amongst the citizens of Storybrooke. Sure, she had quickly went to the town hall to fulfill her mayoral duties, but that was before anyone had awoken and she had usually used magic as her source of transportation._

_Regina decided a nice lunch at one of the small restaurants on main street would be suitable. She figured to treat herself for completing one of the larger projects of setting up and planning the local fundraiser for the hospital. It was something that desperately needed done since the hospital was in dire need of staff and medical supplies. Ever since the Curse had been broken, nurses and doctors left the facilities left and right, in demand to return back to the Enchanted Forest. As the mayor, Regina tried so very desperately to keep them at the hospital where they were needed. She so much as offered to add more money to the budget for a higher salary. It had worked for the most part, but it also had taken from the hospital's budget to purchase supplies and equipment. Regina needed to get the hospital to raise enough funds to purchase the necessary items until she would be able to figure out how to supply the sanitarium with enough money for both supplies and paychecks._

_The fundraiser would be a surefire way to raise enough money, especially since Mother Superior and her inferiors agreed to set up a booth for their candles, splitting the profit. Granny also agreed to cater the event. Recreational as well as snack booths would be open for the public to snack on tasty morsels as they enjoyed the fun games._

_Regina had decided the fundraiser fair should be opened within the upcoming months. That would give everyone plenty enough time to set things up and prepare for the fundraiser. She hoped that it would be successful, especially with her own dessert stand. The mayor had decided to bake for the fundraiser using apples from her beloved tree. She only hoped that people would purchase her goods, seeing as to how she had been famed for using an apple to put people under a sleeping curse._

_Lost in her thoughts, Regina nearly missed her turn to the small restaurant that she had planned to dine in. It wasn't until she ran into someone that she had pulled from her thoughts. They muttered a quick apology and she merely nodded her head with a sardonic scowl before turning to head into the building._

_Her eyes, though, had drifted to land on the little diner across the street where people were happily chattering as they either entered or exited the building. Memories from that day weeks ago flashed through her mind. The taste of hot cocoa and cinnamon, the feeling of soft, moist lips on her own, the feeling of a body pressed flush against her own… It left her breathless._

_Pink tint her cheeks as the brunette shook the memories from her head. No. She wasn't going to think about Miss Swan right now. The main reason she had locked herself inside of her manor, or mayor's office, was to get away from Emma and forget about her. Of course, it was rather impossible to forget about that petulant woman. Every time the mayor had closed her eyes, all she could see was the image of the blonde, her smile and flowing gold mane, or the sound she made when they kissed, or how she felt in her arms when they were embraced in front of the entire town._

_No, she forced those thoughts away once again. It appeared that the infuriating blonde seemed to worm her way into Regina's mind no matter what she was thinking. She was there at least once a day. Waiting behind her eyelids like a monster in the shadows._

_Regina needed to forget her feelings about Emma Swan. The feelings that never existed but in a momentary infatuation. She had been caught up in the moment. That kiss in Granny's diner- the one that awoken Snow White's offspring- had meant nothing. Emma was the product of True Love. Of course. It meant nothing. It was just her own magic working it's way out as it had for Henry._

But when Neal had kissed her, nothing happened.

_Those words pressed in the back of her mind, a tauntingly annoying voice that Regina wanted to rip out and stomp on a thousand times. That meant nothing. It all meant nothing. She was played by Rumplestiltskin like she had always been. She was a pawn in his game as was everyone else in this town. He knew of their fates and he would always direct them to where they needed to be. That little imp could get quite tiresome. She was still quite curious as to why he was pushing her onto Emma so cooperatively instead of his own son. What was he going to get out of their relationship? _  
_They could never have a relationship, so the dealmaker better hope he had a backup plan if this one should blow up in his face. And it will, Regina was quite sure. Especially since Emma was kissing Neal right there outside of Granny's._

_Wait, what?_

_Regina blinked and looked back across the street, pulling away from the door that she had subconsciously been holding open for people. Her eyes had not deceived her, for she squint to get a better look at the couple across the street. A pretty blonde with a smile as equally as beautiful on her face, gazing at a scruffy looking brunette man. A smaller figure bobbed around them, taking the blonde's hand and dragging her down the path towards a little yellow bug parked just at the side of the road._

_The sight made Regina feel sick to her stomach. Emma looked just so overjoyed as did that bastard of a man. The mayor wasn't so fond of him and if weren't for her desire to remain unnoticed, she would have thrown a fireball at his smug little face when his eyes met with Regina's. She stuffed her hands into her coat in an attempt to stifle her want to do just that._

_It took all of five seconds for teary-eyed Regina to disappear in a shroud of purple smoke, appearing seconds later in her mayoral abode._

_Why did it feel like her heart was getting squeezed so tightly inside of her chest? It felt as if Cora had her by the heart again as she had several times when she was much younger. It hurt so very much and she was quite unsure if she could endure this unbearable pain. A hand immediately went to her chest, restlessly scratching at the black peacoat. It felt as if she were breaking into pieces. It was like losing Daniel all over again._

_But the thing was, she never had Emma in the first place, and now she would never get the chance to have Emma. She loved Neal and she had chosen him. Not her._

It had taken a while for Regina to get herself together after witnessing what she had seen outside of Granny's that day. Most of that recovery time was in the foyer as she had curled up on the floor, contemplating her feelings towards the blonde that she tried so hard to deny.

Even a week later, she still felt like someone had ripped the heart from her chest. Although, she knew, if someone were to have done that, she wouldn't be feeling like this. She wouldn't be feeling like some lovesick teenager that was head over heels for a specific blonde that was currently taken and probably would never want to be near her again.

_I need to stop thinking about her_, Regina scowled to herself. It was astonishing how much the sheriff had occupied her thoughts. She didn't want a damned thing to do with her, yet she was still in there. Pecking away at her thoughts like a hungry bird.

The mayor blamed Rumple for that. He more than likely put some sort of spell or curse on her. He wanted the two together and he was quite relentless. It was like him to be so headstrong towards a goal, but one so queer was quite facetious. She didn't quite get that man sometimes or why he did things the way he did them. He was always there when he was needed or someone was coincidentally in peril. He knew just the thing they needed and when he reached for a common goal with another, he went the extra mile to help them, of course, for a price. Unless it had somehow gave him benefit.

"But what does that twisted little imp want with Emma and myself?" Regina asked out loud as she glide across the kitchen, a plate in hand. That was the question that had remained in Regina's mind and had put her alarmingly on edge. Gold found something he liked, something that would be created if Emma and Regina were to get together. The brunette didn't exactly know nor had recalled from any conversation with Rumple as to what that might be. What could two women give him? What could the Evil Queen and the White Knight produce when together besides True Love, since proven?  
Regina wasn't able to finish those thoughts when she heard a rustling outside. She had brushed it off for being another small animal that seemed to enjoy running around on her property. But she was wrong, with what had immediately followed that misinterpretation.

It was an abrupt shout that had caused the brunette mayor to halt her mundane dinner routine. She had just been about to put up the single dish that was left in the dish drainer when she heard it. The sound was quite annoying, considering no one should be around her manor.

Unless the town decided to bring pitchforks and angrily futile threats to her house again.

With a shake of her head, she slowly trudged to the foyer. To the front door. Then with an annoyed expression, the door swung open. Her eyes were like fire as she glared outside, prepared to use her magic to worm out of this.

But all muscles relaxed when she saw the familiar blonde staring at her with eyes as wide as saucers. In her hand was a rock. One that belonged to Regina's little collection by the porch. Why the hell the sheriff had that in her hand was answered when the mayor had squint her eyes. There was a dark streak running down the blonde's forehead.

That alarmed Regina. Emma must have gotten hurt and now that only left the brunette worried.  
"Emma? What the hell are you doing?" she inquired haughtily, stomping across her porch, hands on hips. "What the hell did you do?"

"I... fell." Emma answered in a small voice.

"What are you doing here?" The mayor continued to huff, taking an ungraceful step forward as she had accidentally missed the step that made her porch. She was nothing but flailing limbs after that, her chocolate eyes were wide as well as her mouth as it formed a silent scream.

"Regina!" Emma squawked as she noticed the mayor starting to tumble to the ground. Quickly, she grabbed the petite brunette. Strong, muscular arms held the mayor's body tightly against her chest. "Fuck, you should really watch where you're going. Don't worry about chewing my ass out. Worry about your own ass."

"And what for do you hold concern for my ass?" Regina growled, pushing immediately away from Emma once she was released. She brushed off her skirt, fingers brushing imaginary specks of dust.

"Because it's one fine ass." The blonde shrugged, her eyes widening as she realized what she had said. Right then and there she wished she could take those words back.

"Why, I never!" Regina gasped, her cheeks dusting with a pretty pink. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be having some date with Neal?"

"Neal and I aren't an item." Emma's facial expression had hardened now.

"Still, why are you here?" Regina repeated, her arms crossing over her chest.  
"Because…" The sheriff suddenly looked so small and shy now as she tried to respond to the question. But she had remained flustered. "I wanted to see you."

"You wanted to see me? Hadn't I made myself clear when I declared we should journey _away_ from each other?" a perfectly sculpted brow raised. "I mean, honestly, Emma."

Emma sighed softly, a hand going to her wounded forehead. She didn't make much fuss when she felt the sting from the touch. Wiping at the area, she cleaned the blood off and wiped it onto her black jeans. "We can make this work, you know…"

"And how might that be?" The brunette didn't give time for a breath after the response. "Because you certainly seem to be fawning over that… man."

"And how might you know?" Emma snapped, her eyes narrowed.

"I…" Regina frowned and let her gaze falter for a moment, a look of sorrow swirled in the whisky colored orbs. But when she gazed back up, they were void of any emotion except for anger. "I saw you kiss him... and hold his hand. You were acting lovey dovey and that's just plain sickening to show in front of _my_ son."

"Regina, just chill the fuck out, okay? It was just a goddamn kiss and who asked for your permission anyways? Last time I checked, it was _you_ who gave up on _me_."

"That's a lie…" Regina mumbled, her tone was rather hurt now.

"Oh, is it, now? Tell me, Regina. Prove me wrong that you didn't leave me standing in that restaurant like a rejected idiot."

"I didn't_ give up_ on you, Emma… I just said…"

"It sounded like you gave up on me." Emma quietly whispered. "You didn't even give it a chance. When I said 'love' you just… Closed up. Shut me out."

"Because..." Regina frowned, knowing that she had just wounded the blonde sheriff. That was the last thing that she ever wanted. She didn't want to hurt the woman that she cared so deeply for. "Because I'm just not ready to go that far yet. I can't just… say I love you, yet. I'm not ready."

"Hey," the sheriff sighed, extending a hand to touch Regina's forearm. "Look. Don't worry, okay? I won't mention it until you're ready, huh? How about that… how about we just… start over?"

"I don't know," those words were filled with so much meaning. So much uncertainty, sorrow, hope, dread…

"Just let me in, Regina." Emma's words were a mere whisper.

"I..." Regina now gazed up into Emma's eyes after a long stare at the hand that had touched her. The hand that had caused her heart to speed up so.

"I know it's scary as hell. But you've at least got to try, eh?" That's when the blonde closed the space between the two, her hand drifting up to cradle Regina's face. "Let's just start over and see where this takes us… Don't shut me out."

"I'll… I'll try not to." Regina's words were slightly empty. She knew she couldn't make any promises to the blonde. She knew she couldn't bring too much hope to Emma in any way. But at least they could try this out and see where it goes and maybe, just maybe, it'll go where they hoped.

Regina let her eyes drift closed as she leaned forward, sealing her words with a chaste kiss to Emma's lips. A soft gasp of pleasure slipped from her lips as Emma kissed her back oh so eagerly. A hand found it's way to the blonde curls, snaking through and tugging the head sideways to deepen the kiss, their lips moving in a slow, deep tango. Tongues clashing and sliding together as they hummed the beat.

It was Regina who had pulled away, her chest slightly heaving. "Why don't we go in… Get a drink, perhaps?" she asked tentatively, her eyes dubious as she gazed into the sweet, green orbs in front of her.

"Of course," the blonde immediately agreed, grabbing the olive toned hand as she began to impatiently drag the mayor inside.

"They're just drinks," she brunette called as she followed quickly behind. Upon entering the house, she closed the door and turned around only to blink as Emma had stood still in her spot.

Regina was caught off guard by Emma's sudden jump on her, which had caused the brunette to stumble back against the front door. The coolness from the crisp fall chilled her back through the thin, silk material that had covered her skin. Before she could even respond, Emma had attacked her neck with tender kisses, the blonde's hands roaming up Regina's sides which had caused the brunette to shiver from the sudden contact.

"Emma… we can't…" Regina moaned her protest, gasping when Emma's response was to cup her breasts through the thin material, her nipples eagerly hardening from the attention.

"You want me," the blonde whispered against Regina's soft, olive skin, her moist breath hit the side of her neck which had caused the brunette's skin to pebble anxiously.

Regina's only response was to squeeze her eyes shut, trying to suppress the burning desire between her thighs. "But I _can't_." her words were an almost plea as Emma continued to harass her breasts, a smirk on her pink lips.

"And why can't you?" she purred, pulling her head up to gaze into Regina's brown eyes. "You seem to want it. Why not indulge yourself?"

"Your Neal," the brunette bit her plump, lower lip.

"I already told you…" Emma rolled her eyes in annoyance, knowing obviously that the mayor hadn't been listening to her earlier. "I wanted you. Not him. I'm not even with him and I'm only acting nice for Henry. But Henry doesn't mind if we're together. He just wants us to be happy."

"Happy?" Regina lowered her gaze, a slight frown curving her lips. "He does?"

"Of course. He was telling me that he thought at first that you were using something on me, but I finally convinced him otherwise." Emma shrugged, as if it had meant nothing, then proceeded to press a few soft kisses to Regina's cheek, a smile tugging at her own lips. "He said he didn't mind having two moms that were together. You know, us being gay together and all."

"He said that? I don't believe you." Regina paused with a blink, her chocolate brown orbs focused on the blonde's green ones. "I never really thought of myself like that…"

"Why not?"

"I never really thought of myself like that." she shrugged slightly, her eyes gazing adrift.

Emma couldn't help but chuckle. "But now, at least, you should have some sense of being gay, even if you still go both ways."

"Both ways?" Regina inquired, her head tilting. She did have a sense of what the blonde was saying, but knew it seemed rather embarrassing to discuss with her about. "I don't really… I may have been with them in the past, but I just don't feel like how I do with… well, you. I was afraid to admit that-.. that…"

"Go on, Regina, say it. It'll make you feel loads better. 'I am gay.'" Emma urged, her lips once again moving to kiss the brunette's cheek, then started to slowly slide down towards the line of her jaw. "I've admitted it several times before to myself. It makes you feel… free."  
"Emma..." she sighed softly, her eyes drooping from the soft lips that pressed to her supple skin. She slightly moved her head up, capturing those same soft lips with her own luscious reds. Regina's heart fluttered in a rapid tattoo, her breaths had become noticeably shallow as the hot air from her nose whipped against Emma's milky skin. The brunette's arms snaked around the sheriff's petite waist, only to gasp into the other's mouth as the blonde pressed closer against Regina's body, pinning her to the wall with the sudden encouragement. The kiss had now become fervent, shaky and desperate hands slid over crimson silk, tugging the fabric up until it allowed a gap for those same hands to slide under and up over the warm flesh that it had hid.

Regina gasped softly once again, her own slender fingers playing a teasing game underneath the back of Emma's shirt, smoothing up over the expanse of skin and trailing up the spine that had greeted her with goose flesh. As she had done that, she felt the hands retract from underneath her own shirt, which had caused a single muffled protest, but she had been reprimanded with a bite to her lower lip. This only caused the brunette to growl and scrape her nails roughly down Emma's perfect flesh, causing the blonde to moan in both pain and arousal.

Hissing in a breath as her shirt touched the fresh wounds, Emma brought her hands to the top of Regina's silk blouse only to rip the clothing open, causing the buttons to fly away with acute anger from being ripped from their home. This action caused Regina to gasp and pull away altogether from the kiss, looking down at her now ruined top. The black lace of her bra was now visible, and quite tantalizing for the blonde had started to lick her lips as her eyes gazed at the fabric that was holding her back from her goods.

"Say it," she mumbled, one of her hands slipping to Regina's back where nimble fingers fumbled with the clasps the bound the fabric together and ultimately left Emma anxious about receiving her prize. After finally releasing the last clasp, she was able to slip her hand under the lace and over the curve of the other woman's breast, earning a sharp gasp from Regina.

"Please…" the brunette seemed to softly plead as Emma palmed her breast in a teasing manner.

"Then say it, Regina. That's all you have to do is admit it to yourself." she purred softly, her pink lips trailing down the soft, olive skin of Regina's neck.

"Oh, you're going to pay for this…" she hissed softly, her eyes had now drifted to half-mast as she basked in the pleasure given to her. "Fine… fine… I'm gay. I've known it all along, but I've never thought of it to be, well, real or anything." Regina admitted finally, her voice nothing but a mere whisper. "I thought it was wrong. Everyone else was with the opposite gender."

"I don't think _everyone_ was." Emma cooed softly against Regina's skin, her brilliant blue-green eyes drifting up to Regina's own orbs.

"Well, as far as it was visible, Emma. People were usually afraid to be different. I know I was. My mother would probably have my head if she found out."

"What about Daniel?" Emma asked quickly. She had heard, apparently, of Regina's former fiance.

"Love has no gender, dear. I loved him, truly, as a person. But…" she shook her head, her words trailing off as despair took an edge to her voice.

"Right… Why don't we go upstairs?" Emma lightly suggested, moving her hand from the mayor's breast to grip the woman's own hand. "I shouldn't have brought that up."

"It's fine, Miss Swan," Regina grit her teeth and gave the hand that held hers a tight squeeze before pushing the blonde away from her so she could move. "Why don't you just go home? I'm sure your _mother_ is worried about you."

"Regina," Emma let a frustrated sigh slip through her lips. "Why are you so cold now?"

"I am not cold. Go home." she simply stated, moving towards the bending staircase as she desperately tried to keep her ruined blouse together with her hand.

"I know you were enjoying it…" Regina could hear Emma's boots clacking on the hardwood floor as she followed her to the stairs. "Come on, Regina. Why can't you just let me in?"

Regina paused her movements, her head slightly turning to gaze at the blonde's pleading face behind her. She didn't bother to give an answer for she continued her way upstairs, removing her heels in the process so she could jog lightly up them.

"Madame Mayor!" Emma's now held an authoritative and angry tone to it. "Answer my question."

"No," the brunette continued up the bend of the staircase before disappearing altogether into the large, master bedroom.

"And get the hell out of my house!" Regina's voice shouted from her bedroom as she angrily tossed her shoes off to the side. That woman was seriously pissing her off now. First she comes here spewing bull at her about not wanting Neal, then she just harassed her with her lips- although, the mayor could admit that she didn't necessarily mind that- but still, it hadn't fared well with her mood now and the way Emma was just disobeying what she had said was merely fueling the flames.

"And she ruined my goddamn blouse," Regina hissed, tugging the garment off to throw to the floor next to the bedroom door. She'd have to toss that one out later, but right now, she didn't want to have to deal with it. Nothing. She was done with the day and she needed to lay down before she broke anything.

Shrugging the already unclasped brassiere off, Regina proceeded to retrieve a black, satin nightie from the closet. Quickly slipping out of her pencil skirt, she donned the nightwear and headed towards the bed, perching on the edge once she had reached it. She struggled mildly as she peeled the pantyhose from her legs, then tossed them aside with the rest of her discarded clothing. It wasn't like her to leave clothes littered around her room, but she didn't give two damns at the moment. Her mind was focused on getting rid of this feeling of arousal that Emma had given her. She hated it and hoped that perhaps sleeping it off would help. There was no way that she would please herself to the thoughts of the blonde that had brought this upon her. Upon exiting her thoughts, Regina curled up in the middle of the bed, pulling the large, extravagant comforter over her body.


End file.
